Getting Ready

So I have been up since 4am....so much going on in my mind....getting ready for the journey of a lifetime. I have received our itinerary from Karla at Lifeline.....I hope it all just goes smoothly for Edward and I. Last night it sank in that I will be away from Ed and Evan for 9 days!!! That will be the longest in 18 years. I am sad that we wont meet our Ella together....but also understand Ed needs to be here at the store during the transition. :( We downloaded Skype last night and played around with it. Eds sister and parents both got on and we were able to do a practice run..... I have so much to do today before we leave tomorrow....this time tomorrow...Edward and I will be on our way. We will leave Portland for NY....then head to Detroit....then Shanghai. We spend the night in Shanghi and then fly to Nanchang on the 11th. We will meet with our guide Mary...she will take us to the Gloria Hotel...our home for the next 6 nights!! On Dec 12th....we will be brought to the Social Welfare Office in Nanchang....that is where our lives will change forever.....we will meet our Ella!! I get teary eyed just thinking about how releived and overjoyed I will be....but also sad that Ed will not be there!! :( As soon as we can...we will head back to the hotel so we can skype with daddy and Evan!! On Dec 17th we will leave the province of Jiangxi and fly to Guangzhou. In Guangzhou we will stay at the Garden hotel for the next 5 nights.....and that is where Ed and Evan will meet up with us. ( I cant wait for that!!)Amazing to think of all the first for Ella....she will leave Jiangxi for the first time in her 5 years of life on the 17th....flying for the first time.....just amazing!!!We will leave Guangzhou as a family of 5 on Dec 22 via train...and arrive in Hong Kong....we will stay in Hong Kong until we fly on Dec 24. We will have a free day...so we are tentatively planning on going to Disneyland!! Then we will fly into Portland on Christmas Eve.....at 7:46pm. Just in time to go to bed and wait for Santa!!!!